playing n the dirt

The yard at the end of our block looks perfect.  Every blade of grass looks the exact height and color as the next.  The trees are evenly spaced, the english ivy stays in the beds and the flagstone is perfectly random.  Any block would be proud to have this yard.  I just have one problem with it, it isn’t natural.

There are lots of chemicals used on the lawn, it seems like almost every week they put more on.  English ivy is not native to Colorado and can be every intrusive if it does spread and while evenly spaced the trees will be to close when they get full grown.  I really am not the jealous neighbor.  I would just prefer a yard and garden that were a little more natural.

Nature isn’t perfect and I don’t think our yards and gardens should be either.  That does not mean I don’t think we should not take care of our yards.  However there is a difference between dumping tons of chemicals on our yards and living with a few weeds.  I think our plant options need to be native to the area and not something exotic.  There is something to be said for the surprises of nature and a cottage style yard versus the perfect yard.

The soapy water is working on whatever type of lava got all over the leaves of my pepper plants.  The plants and leaves are looking much better.  The is some damage that can’t be repaired, but over all I think the peppers will be ok. 

I still don’t know what type of bug laid the lava, but I’m not to worried about that.  I think I did see one of them this afternoon.  It as an ugly red and black thing.  If I had tons of free time, I look up what kind of bug it is, but I have lots of other garden chores to do instead.

I am an organic gardener with a pretty laid back approach to gardening.  I have never really had a pest problem in all my years of gardening and I think the organic approach is one reason why.  I have a “no kill” rule when it comes to critters and pests in the garden and the natural order and ecosystem has proven good for my gardens.

This year however on my peppers I have some type of flying insect lava.  Until recently a good blast with the sprayer nozzle has kept the problem in check and the plants don’t seem to be doing to badly.  Now the lava seems to be spreading and the peppers are not producing much.  I’m not sure if the two are related but I think there is a good chance they are.

So how does an organic gardener control the pests and keep being organic.  I’m going to try one of the oldest pest control tricks in the bag, soapy water.  I’ll mix a few drops of liquid organic soap in a spray bottle full of water and spray it directly on the leaves of the plants.  It should control the lava without harming the plants or any other surrounding plants.

So the new gardener want to know, why do you mulch?  There are many reasons, but I’ll give you my top three, in no particular order.

Mulching saves time.  When you have a good layer of mulch you can save time by not having to water as much as without mulch.  Most mulches will help retain water.  A good mulch will also save time because it will help control weeds.  No weeds, no weed pulling.

Mulching can help improve your soil.  You will need a good organic mulch, but what could be easier.  Just layer the mulch in the garden and let it do all the work.  While barks are organic they will take longer to breakdown and build up the soil verses grass, leaves or newspaper which will usually breakdown in a season.

Mulch can add to the overall beauty of the garden.  A freshly mulched garden is a beautiful site.  A more hardy mulch like bark in the sidewalk flower garden can also be enjoyed by all your neighbors.

There are many different types of mulch.  In my vegetable gardens I like to use to of the easiest and cheapest kinds.  I usually lay down four to six sheets of newspaper topped off with my grass clippings to keep them in place.  This is very effective and almost free.  In my sidewalk flower gardens I use non treated bark.

You can find many more mulching ideas in www.MotherEarthNews.com. 

It’s been a great gardening season and now the crops are getting ready to harvest.  The harvest starts out kind of slow with a few ripe beans and zuchinni.  The wait for the first ripe tomato is almost unbearalbe.  But then things start to speed up and the next thing you know, you have dozens of everything.

So what do you do with all the crops you have to harvest?  Even the most die hard producer lover can only take so much of a good thing.  Sharing with friends and family is a great idea, but unless you have a lot of each, your still going to have more produce than you know what to do with.

The best thing to do with all that extra produce is to save it for later.  There are several good ways to do just that. 

Canning is what most people think of when they think about preserving food.  This is my least favorite way of preserving food.  It takes a lot of time, it is a hot job and it can make a big mess especially if a jar busts.

Freezing food is easier and you can do it to almost any produce.  Some food can just be washed and then frozen others should be blanched first and maybe peeled first and then frozen.

Roasting works great on any type of pepper.  We roast ours outside on the bar-b-que grill.  Then just let them cool and freeze them.  You do NOT have to peel them before you freeze them.

Drying food is about the easiest way to preserve food.  You can buy a dehydrator or let the sun to it for you.  Store the food in a clean,dry,dark area until ready to use.

Certain foods like carrots don’t need anything done to them.  You can store them in a clean, dry, cool area for up to several months.

Growing a great garden is a wonderful experience.  Eating the fruits of your labor in the dead of winter is an even greater experience.  If you’re new to food preserving I’d suggest you get some expert advice.  My favorite place to get that advice is MotherEarthNews.  They have a great website, www.MotherEarthNews.com where you’ll find all types of ways of preserving food. 

I find it hard to believe sometimes, but I do know a lot of people that don’t know how to garden.  I think it’s not so much of a lack of knowledge as it maybe fear.

So fear not.  I hope I can help some with the knowledge by posting some basic “how to” tips for both the first time gardener and the those with a little more experience.

Remember these simple rules, gardening should be fun and you will at some point have to get a little dirty.  A garden needs plenty of four basic things, good dirt or compost, mulch, water and sunshine.

So have fun, get dirty, provide the basics and watch your garden grow.